Without realizing it, you may have a colony of vampires in your home. They may not be out for blood, but these vampires are still taking something valuable from you: energy and money. Energy vampires in your home are appliances, electronics and other devices that continue using power even after they’ve been turned off.
When plugged in, computers, televisions, refrigerators and similar electronics and appliances still use a small amount of energy. Turning them off doesn’t help; the standby power they consume is used to maintain internal settings, clocks, timers and other features. A single device does not use much standby power, but the power loss becomes significant when it’s multiplied by several devices over weeks or months.
You don’t have to play host to costly energy vampires. The simplest solution is to unplug computers, televisions, appliances, battery chargers and similar energy-consuming devices when you’re not using them. With no connection to a power supply, they can’t drain away any excess energy. Here are some other things you can do:
- Plug similar electronics into a power strip: By plugging several devices into a single power strip, you can shut them all off at once and stop the flow of energy. Power strips work well with groups of associated items, such as computers, printers, monitors and other office equipment.
- Replace your appliances and electronics with high-efficiency equipment: High-efficiency products use less standby energy. Energy Star-certified products, for example, are tested and certified to be energy efficient and use the least amount of power possible when they’re in standby mode. Check your devices to see if any have an Energy Star power management mode that automatically shifts to power-saving mode after a period of not being used.
Heating and air conditioning customers in the Denver metro area can rely on the Rheem Pro Partner for expert HVAC sales, service and maintenance. Contact us for more information on standby power and for more suggestions for finding and banishing those money-sucking energy vampires that can be hidden in your home.
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